Love of the Homeland, by Raymond de Souza

By Raymond de Souza, KHS, KofC, Church Militant, September 1, 2022

The fourth commandment of chivalry

The fourth commandment of chivalry is to love the country where you were born. This is the essence of patriotism.

Patriotism is a natural virtue and a consequence of the Fourth Commandment of God’s Law: Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother. The virtue of piety requires rendering due homage to God, one’s homeland and one’s parents. The word “patriot” comes from the Latin patria, meaning “fatherland,” which in turn comes from pater, “father.” Just as the knight was called to honor and love his parents, he was also called to honor and love the country in which he was born and raised. Thus, the French knights loved France, the Teutonic knights loved Germany, etc.

Unfortunately, the image of knights has been tarnished in recent years. Hollywood often portrays knights as greedy, ineffectual, hypocritical womanizers (such as in Kingdom of Heaven). University students learn how knights were supposedly members of an oppressor class who murdered, robbed and raped …

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